Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Moe
by Mammai
Summary: One month, so many choice and a bear? What is a girl to do? Follow Katara as she chooses a groom and shenanigans ensue.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story is based upon the ancient Indian custom of Swayamvar. According to this custom, princesses got to select a groom from various different princes. These would often include a challenge or a difficult task. I have chosen not to include a task for this. Instead I'm going with a situation where Katara gets to know these guys one on one, which in my mind is more in keeping with the ATLA universe.**

 **A few cliff notes:**

 **The fire nation is not evil.**

 **Aang is not the last airbender.**

 **Katara is a princess in her own right as the daughter of the chief of the Southern Water Tribe. As such, she is aware of the important people in the world but has never met them.**

 **I've upped the ages of all of the characters:**

 **Zuko, Sokka and Jet: 19**

 **Katara and Suki: 17**

 **Toph and Aang: 15**

 **I guess all these changes makes it an AU story after all. I hope you all enjoy. Please let me know what you think.**

* * *

Katara knew that further argument with her father was pointless. She was to be married and that was that. Katara supposed that she had been lucky that her father loved her as much as he did. She'd been able to delay the inevitable for almost a year.

Today, however, Hakoda had laid down the law. She was to marry before the year was out. Since Katara had been expecting this for a while, she'd asked him to resurrect the old custom of "Bride's Choice." The eligible nobles and princes from around the world would be invited to spend a month in the southern water tribe. Katara would spend some time getting to know the 'candidates' and make her choice by the summer solstice.

Hakoda would never know that Katara had had every finger crossed in the hope that her father would agree. She made a mental note to thank her brother, Sokka, for talking to their father on her behalf. Admittedly, He did have a vested interest in the plan succeeding, since it was his suggestion to begin with. Sokka had argued that resurrecting the old custom would also give the Southern Water Tribe a lot of goodwill and show the rest of the world how far they had come.

Then came the argument of where to actually host the event. Having the guests at the Southern Water Tribe meant that the healers would be dealing with a bunch of sick and therefore cranky people. Making furs for all those people was more work than Hakoda wanted to take on. Fortunately for the siblings, Sokka's wife, Suki, came up with the perfect solution. Kyoshi Island was not affiliated with any of the nations and as Suki's home would provide the perfect setting for them to host the event. It being Suki's home only added to the allure.

So, invites for the event were sent out to all the eligible princes and nobles across the world. It was only when the responses came back that Katara knew that her brother's plan might not have been the best one. She had no idea how she was supposed to sort through so many contenders in just one month! Panicked, Katara immediately wrote to her friend to ask for help. After all no one could cut through bullshit faster than Toph Beifong, Earthbender extraordinaire and the human lie detector.

All too soon for Katara's tastes, they were in Kyoshi Island. It seemed like they had barely settled in before the candidates had started arriving. Katara knew that she was to meet all the candidates at the same time during a feast held in their honor but her curiosity was killing her. She was wondering how to sneak a peek at the arriving delegates when one of the younger Kyoshi warriors burst in.

Wide-eyed, the girl reported that the Avatar had just come as one of the contenders. Katara was stuck speechless. She'd not seen his name amongst the people who had responded. She wondered if she should be flattered that the Avatar had graced them with their presence or apprehensive that he wanted to marry her. In the end, Katara decided to be cautiously optimistic. After all, a marriage with the Avatar would be very beneficial for her tribe.

* * *

Katara came awake with a start, bending the drool from her chin in disgust. She had fallen asleep on the chair in her room and now had a crick in her neck. Thanking the spirits for her healing powers, she quickly fixed the cramp. Having no idea how long she had slept, she looked over to the markers and groaned. She was really late and had to hurry if she wanted to make it to her own banquet on time. On cue, Suki came into her room. The smile on her sister-in- law's face turned into a frown as she took in Katara's disheveled appearance.

"I fell asleep," Katara forestalled any comment from the clearly displeased Suki.

"Great! We can go make a fabulous impression on the visiting dignitaries," Suki's sarcastic comment was accompanied with a wave of her hand towards Katara.

"Are you going to help me dress or stand here and be sarcastic?" Katara was already down to her under wrappings.

With a sigh, Suki quickly helped Katara into the long sleeved blue gown which had darker blue accents around the waist.

"I'm not sure I can get the tangles out of your hair in time," Suki sounded frustrated.

"Just do the top layer no one will know that the underside isn't brushed. OUCH!" Katara yelled in pain as Suki ran the brush through a particularly bad tangle.

"Sorry, sorry."

Katara just sighed in defeat. If she hadn't fallen asleep, she would have had a long time to get ready leisurely.

"That's …" whatever Suki had been about to say was interrupted by Sokka's voice.

"Are you girls ready to go?" He asked.

Suki gave Katara a quick hug and walked out to meet her husband.

Taking a deep breath and touching her mother's necklace, Katara steeled herself.

* * *

The banquet was being held in one of the main halls in the center of town. The circular seating arrangement allowed for easier conversation and provided Katara a chance to look at the all the 'prospective grooms' from her seat between Sokka and Toph. She allowed her gaze to flit over the assembled men when something caught her eye.

 _Is that a bear?_ Katara was flabbergasted. Blinking rapidly, she sought to clear her vision certain that her eyes were deceiving her.

"That's definitely a bear," Toph murmured.

"Do you read minds too now?" Katara whispered back.

"No, Sugar queen, everyone seems to be taken aback by it and it is decidedly odd to bring a bear to this."

What was even stranger was the fact that the dude kept petting the bear. She chanced a glance at Sokka but quickly looked away before she burst out laughing. He was unabashedly gaping at the bear guy with his mouth hanging open. She nudged her brother and brought him back to earth. A look around the table showed many of the other people around the table had similar expressions of incredulity. Another glance at the bear guy revealed him now talking to his bear.

"Just when you thought he couldn't get any stranger," Sokka leaned over to whisper in her ear.

Katara couldn't control her snicker any longer. The sound seemed unnaturally loud in the hall and earned her a look from her father. She would have sobered under the glare except for the fact that his lips were twitching. The small laugh, however, served to snap several of the men from their trances.

The meal ended without further incident mainly because Katara resolutely kept her gaze on her dinner. After the last course was cleared away, her father stood up.

"Good evening to the esteemed guests. I, Chief Hakoda, of the prestigious Southern Water Tribe, welcome you all and offer my deepest gratitude to you all for gracing us with your august presence. We have all assembled here to reinstate an age old practice of "Bride's Choice" both as an effort to honor the old traditions and to find a suitable groom for my beloved daughter. I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that this is the Bride's Choice and I would request you all to honor my daughter's decision, whatever that might be. Please allow me to introduce the members of my family, who, along with me, will be your hosts for the duration of your stay here. Seated to my right, is my son and the Chief-in-waiting, Sokka. On my left is his wife and leader of the Kyoshi warriors, Suki. We express our gratitude to Lady Suki for allowing us the use of Kyoshi Island for this event. Please feel free to let us know should you need anything. As our guests, your comfort is of paramount importance and we would do our best to make your stay here as pleasant and comfortable as we can. And now, please join your hands to welcome the Bride, my daughter and Master Waterbender, Katara."

Katara stood up to the applause of the gathering, bowing to acknowledge her father and their guests.

"During the next month, all of you will be given a chance to meet with my daughter so that you may get to know each other. During the first few meetings, my daughter will be accompanied by either a Kyoshi warrior or our friend, Lady Toph Beifong. At the end of the month, on the auspicious day of the summer solstice, my daughter will make her choice. The person whom she chooses will be told in advance of her decision to provide him an opportunity to back out should he feel uncomfortable with the match. The order in which you will meet with Katara was decided earlier when you drew numbers from the bowl as you walked in. The first meeting will begin tomorrow morning. For all the rest of our guests, we have bending and practice arenas around the island should anyone want to make use of these. Once again, I thank you all for coming to my daughter's 'Bride's Choice'"

With that the party broke up. Katara was standing with her family when a young man came over. Bowing to her father he said, "I'm Avatar Aang. Please accept my apologies for showing up unannounced. I was out of the temple when they received your message. By the time I got it, well I figured I would get here faster than a messenger hawk."

"It's our pleasure and honor to have you here, Avatar Aang. No apologies are necessary it is understandable that your Avatar duties keep you from your home for long periods."

Katara was a little shocked. _This kid was the Avatar? He barely looks old enough to shave. Speaking of, does he even have anything to shave?_

"You're staring!" Suki whispered to her, breaking Katara out of her thoughts.

"Oh! Ummm, sorry," Katara apologized and then turned to Hakoda, "If I may be excused, Father? It's been a long day and I'd like to get some rest before tomorrow's busy day."

"Me too," Suki and Toph said simultaneously.

Hakoda narrowed his eyes at the three ladies but gave in, "Of course. Good night!"

The Avatar and Sokka bade them a good night and the three friends escaped the party.

Sleep, however, was a long time coming as the three of them talked about the weird guy with the bear and the Avatar.

* * *

Fire Lord Zuko was furious. He vowed to have some very strong words with his uncle when he got back. He could not believe that Iroh would do this to him. Zuko was under the impression that he had come here to attend a 'very important international event.' Instead this was a marriage mart and Zuko was one of the products on display. He had had no idea what he had signed up for till Chief Hakoda's speech. He felt like an Ostrich horse for sale in fire nation markets.

On top of that, he had to spend a month, one whole month, taking part in this Agni forsaken ceremony. To top it all, his companions were people like King Kuei. Who the heck brought a bloody bear to an international event?

 _Who comes to a marriage mart without having any idea what they are here for?_ His inner voice taunted him.

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and took a calming breath. At least, King Kuei and his bear (Bronco? Plinko?) had saved him from an embarrassing display of temper earlier today. He was seated next to the smelliest person he had ever come across. The guy was wearing leaves in strategic positions but that was it. The incident happened when the meat was served.

"What's that, you reckon? Possum Chicken?" the dude had asked him.

"That's Arctic Seal meat, filth" Zuko growled.

"You think the meat is filthy?"

Zuko's chopsticks were ashes in his meat.

On top of being furious, Zuko was also hungry having been unable to eat his ash laden meal. He wondered briefly if he could avoid this entire show and go back but realized that there was no way he could do that without deeply offending his hosts. He resolved to give it a week before writing to Iroh and threatening him to come up with an 'emergency' requiring the fire lord's presence. Satisfied with this idea and feeling calmer, Zuko walked back to meet the rest of the Ostrich horses.

* * *

Zuko's morning started off pretty good. He had gotten up early and was able to do his meditation and then get some morning exercises in. He was well into his third set of exercises when he was interrupted by a particularly grumpy voice.

"Can't you wait till a reasonable hour before making so much noise?"

Zuko froze in shock. Who had dared to address him in this manner? Especially because he knew he was not making a sound. He spun around to see a diminutive girl in a green outfit standing there.

"Who are you?" Zuko asked, flames already in his palms.

"The name's Toph"

 _This chit is the legendary Toph Beifong?_

Zuko put out the flames and bowed in the fire nation salute.

"I apologize for disturbing you, Lady Beifong but I wasn't aware that I was being loud enough to wake anyone."

"Maybe not, but I sleep on the floor."

Zuko was astounded, "Why would you sleep on the floor when there are so many rooms with beds available?"

"I'm blind and I see with my feet. I don't like to be separated from my element."

Zuko thought that this girl might keep him constantly surprised.

"I apologize for being curious, Lady Beifong, but how does one see with their feet?"

"It's Toph. Lady Beifong is my mother," she huffed. "You can ask how but I don't have to answer. Just know that when I'm with Katara I'll be able to tell if you're lying."

With this statement the girl started to walk away. After a few steps, she stopped, "Do your exercises a little further from here tomorrow."

Zuko gaped after her. The Fire Lord was unused to being commanded to do anything.

He realized he did not have the time for any more exercises as more people were waking up.

"Good Morning, Zuko!"

Zuko sighed and turned to face the only person besides his mother who called him by his given name.

"Avatar," he acknowledged.

"Zuko, I do have a name."

"Good morning, Aang," Zuko was beginning to regret getting up.

"Do you want to spar in the arena before we go in for breakfast?"

Zuko mused that sparring with the Avatar would allow him to finish his morning exercises and nodded.

* * *

The spar had definitely been a good idea and Zuko's morning was looking up again. He changed his clothes and headed for breakfast. As soon as he left his room, however, he was confronted by a guy about his age.

"You're Fire Nation!" the dude accused him, speaking around a stalk of wheat in his mouth.

Zuko wondered if he had walked into a party of lunatics. The guy was still looking like he expected Zuko to deny it. "Yes."

"I hate Fire Nation people!"

"Umm. That's nice?"

"Do they know?"

"I assume they realized that when they invited the Fire Lord." Out of patience, Zuko stepped around the now gaping guy and went to get some breakfast.

* * *

Katara was as ready as could be to face her morning. She was to meet her first suitor, a guy named Due.

She was a little baffled by this guy as no one seemed to know who he was or where he was from. She couldn't refuse to meet with him either since he was the very first person she had to spend time with. Feeling the need to reinforcements, she asked both Toph and a Kyoshi warrior to accompany her for the meeting.

She had just taken a seat next to Toph when a voice spoke up behind her, "May I join you ladies for breakfast?"

Katara turned in her seat to see a smiling Avatar. Unsure about seeming too friendly, she looked at her father for guidance. At his nod, she gave her permission. With a huge grin lighting up his boyish face, the Avatar took the seat next to Toph. Before anyone could say a word in greeting, he called out to the newest person entering the tent.

"Fire Lord, Zuko!"

The man in question turned to face the little group and Katara's breath caught in her chest. The Fire Lord was a handsome man! He was dressed in his nation's colors with his crown in his top knot. As he started walking towards them, Katara noticed that he was about Sokka's age yet he carried himself with an assurance that she hadn't seen in men far older to him. This was every inch a man born to rule.

"Breathe, Sugar Queen," Toph nudged her.

Katara swore under her breath. She was going to be black and blue from all of the nudges she was getting from her 'friends'.

The Fire Lord had now approached the table and bowed to the group.

"Greetings, Avatar Aang, Lady Beifong and Lady Katara."

Katara was in trouble. The Fire Lord's voice send shivers down her back and all he'd done was greet them. She barely remembered to dip her head in acknowledgement.

"Why don't you join us for breakfast?" Aang offered.

The monarch seemed to consider this for a moment before taking the seat next to the Avatar.

Her Father joined them momentarily and breakfast was served.

Even though he was sitting a good distance away from her, Katara was conscious of the Fire Lord throughout the meal.

Soon enough breakfast was over and it was time for the 'suitor parade' to start.

* * *

"Hello, sunshine!"

Katara was startled _'sunshine?'_ Beside her Toph snickered.

She turned to look at him and felt her mouth drop open. The guy was wearing leaves around his waist and had on a leaf hat and that was all. _What in name of spirits is going on? What is that godawful stench?_

Recovering her composure as best she could, Katara ventured, "Good morning, Nobleman Due." Her voice was wobblier than she wanted.

"Nobleman? Shoot! I'm no nobleman."

"Lord Due?" Katara ventured.

He started laughing uproariously.

Katara looked over at her companions but they both appeared to be as clueless as her.

When he got his breath back, he spoke, "I ain't a lord either. I'm Due, just Due, a swampbender."

Katara put both her hands on her hips and scowled at him, "Well, just Due. If you are not a lord or a nobleman, how did you get invited to this event?"

"Invited?"

"Yes, invited. Who invited you?"

"No one invited me. I was out of the swamp minding my own business when I hear some guys talking about this 'Bride's choice' thing on Kyoshi Island. I'd never heard of such a thing, so I decided to come check it out."

"You decided to come check it out?" Katara's voice took on a sharp edge and the water nearby started to freeze.

"Easy, Sugar Queen. You don't want to kill anyone on the very first day, though you may have justifiable cause here," Toph put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "At least, he's telling the truth."

"Get. Out. Of. My. Sight"

The swampbender seemed to recognize the danger he was in and scurried away.

Katara pressed a hand to her temple and groaned. Less than ten minutes into the first day and it was already a disaster.


	2. Catch a tiger by it's toe

**A/N** : Katara's adventures (or rather misadventures) continue as she tries to sort through the plethora of suitors.

I forgot a couple of things in my last chapter. First, thank you to my beta and talented sister, Smylealong. If you haven't read her stories, check them out.

secondly, I don't own any of the characters. If I did, Zutara would be canon. Sigh! everything belongs to Bryke and Nick. The story, however, is mine.

Without further ado, here we go

* * *

 **2\. Catch a tiger by it's toe**

A few days later, Katara had to take the morning off from the meetings. She was certain that if she met one more lord that told her how beautiful her hair was, how luminous her eyes or how exotic she was; she would freeze said noble to the ceiling. Katara was a normal girl and she enjoyed being complimented, but it was like all these people were reading off of some script that told them to say the exact same things to her. Somehow, when these words came from men who were almost twice her age, it was creepy too.

She sat in her room with Suki and Toph to discuss this. As Katara laid out her problem to them, she watched Toph turn thoughtful.

"You know, Sugar Queen, you may be onto something there," Toph mused

"What do you mean?" Katara was curious.

"Don't worry about that now. I'll take care of it." Toph assured her.

"Take care of what?" Katara was baffled.

Toph just crossed her arms and frowned. Katara exchanged a look with Suki, who shrugged. When Toph had that expression, she wouldn't say a word till she was good and ready.

"There are so many of these nobles and lords who are so much older than I am," Katara went back to the matter troubling her the most. "I can't bear to spend the few hours with them, never mind my life."

"Well, at least it narrows the field down considerably for you, doesn't it?" Suki tried to cheer her sister-in-law.

"There is that, I suppose," Katara sounded a little better. "Tonight I'm meeting with King Kuei. I wonder if he's going to bring his bear with him. I haven't seen him go anywhere without it. I better prepare to spend the evening with two gentlemen rather than one."

"Well, we hope it's a boy bear, it'd be seriously creepy otherwise." Suki remarked.

The other two girls blinked at her before collapsing into peals of laughter.

* * *

Katara was right in her guess that King Kuei would bring his bear to the meeting.

"Good evening, your highness." Katara greeted him.

"Good evening, Lady Kanna. This is Bosco. Please say hello to him." The young king said.

"Errr…good evening, Bosco. And it's Katara, your highness."

"How long do we have to stay here, do you think? Bosco is missing the comforts of the palace. Aren't you boy?"

"I believe the invitation is for a month. It's three more weeks till the solstice so about that long." Katara answered.

"Bosco's stomach is unused to the foods of the different nations being served here. I need more cakes and pies to be served for him at the next meal."

Katara could only gape at the king. _Is he really talking to me about the eating habits of a bear? What kind of bear eats cakes and pies?_

"I will ask the cooks for the same. Now, King Kuei, do you have any questions for me?"

The King looked at her as if puzzled, "Why would I have questions for you, Lady Kanna? As long as you make sure Bosco's taken care of, I have no opinion on how you spend your day."

Katara barely restrained herself from slapping her forehead. Giving up this meeting as a lost cause, she bowed to Earth King and headed back to her room. She had taken a couple of steps when she heard his voice again.

"Lady Kanna, what is a Katara?"

This time she did slap her forehead and walked away without answering. Her headache was back in full force.

* * *

Katara's morning was much better than the night before. She was spending in the company of an earth kingdom noble called Jet. He was the head of a group called the freedom fighters. This was the first guy that she had met that was close to her age. He was a charming guy whose smile hinted at mischievousness. Jet's eyes roamed over Katara and he let out a small whistle of appreciation before grinning down at her. Normally this would have annoyed her, but there was something honest in his appreciation that was refreshing after the endlessly repetitive compliments.

The only weird habit was his penchant for having a stalk of wheat in his mouth. Still, it was the first time since the event started that she actually liked the company of one the men that she had spent time with. Jet was the second guy to make it onto her short list. The first was on her list before he'd spoken a word to her.

* * *

Katara wasn't sure what to think of the meeting with the Avatar. She liked him well enough from all the times that he had joined them for breakfast but he had spent more time talking to Toph than to her. It made Katara happy to see her normally sarcastic and abrasive friend getting along with the cheerful Aang. She was looking forward to spending some with him to try and get to know him a little better. After the pleasantries were exchanged, Katara asked him the question that had been bothering since she first met him.

"Aang, how old are you?"

"I'm 15"

"15! Isn't that a little young to get married?" Katara was bewildered.

"Maybe," Aang shrugged. "But I have a duty towards the airbenders. You must have heard of the plague?"

Katara nodded.

"The plague wiped out a very significant number of airbenders and it is up to the rest of us to repopulate the air nomads."

 _Ewww! I can't believe a 15 year old is talking about repopulating a nation._ Katara hoped her revulsion did not show on her face. Apparently she wasn't very successful because Aang let out a bark of laugh before continuing.

"I don't have to start immediately but I do need to look for a bride."

Even though the words were said gently and was meant to soothe, it did nothing. Katara couldn't get the picture of herself surrounded by seven eight kids all grinning like Aang. It was a very scary thought. Still, Aang was the Avatar and she couldn't dismiss his suit quite that easily.

* * *

A few more days passed and finally Katara was ready to meet the Fire Lord. She was very excited and nervous at the same time. From that day at breakfast, she had been very aware of his presence. It was amazing to her how different the two sovereigns were. Where King Kuei was someone who was given respect because of his title, the Fire Lord commanded it. What she was not expecting was how tongue tied she got in his presence. Fire Lord Zuko often joined them for meals but she had barely exchanged more than a 'good morning' with him. Toph found it hilarious and often called her out on it, like she was doing now.

"You're going to have to talk to him today, you know."

"I know, Toph, I know."

"Well, will your tongue work to actually converse with him?"

"I hope so, otherwise, I'll never get another chance."

"Sweetness, just take a deep breath. He's just a man."

"He's not just a man!" Katara exclaimed. "He's the Fire Lord. The ruler of the fire nation."

"You have met the ruler of the earth kingdom too he didn't throw you into a tizzy."

Katara mumbled something.

"What?"

"He's beautiful," Katara said and immediately felt her cheeks flaming.

Toph let out a bark of laughter and said, "I figured that by the way every female's heart around here seems to go into overdrive when the Fire Lord is near."

Katara huffed.

"I heard some of the girls talking about his scar. What scar? It clearly doesn't diminish his appeal." Toph asked her.

"He has a large scar on the left side of his face from his eye to his ear. It actually adds to his appeal and keeps him from being too pretty. I wonder how he got it though it looks like it would have been really painful."

"Maybe he'll tell us?"

"Toph! I can't just ask him about something like that in our very first meeting."

"Speaking of which, it's almost time. Get ready, Sugar Queen."

The butterflies in Katara's stomach returned with a vengeance.

Katara had to give herself another pep talk before she could go out of her room.

Fire Lord Zuko was his usual polite self. He greeted Toph and her and asked her how she had been.

Katara was busy mooning over how much taller he was than everyone she'd met recently and completely missed the question. When Toph nudged her, she realized that he was waiting for a response to something.

"I love the earth kingdom food too!" She said, realizing immediately that she'd said the wrong thing when Toph laughed out loud behind her and the monarch looked baffled.

"I apologize, Fire Lord, my mind was elsewhere. I didn't hear your question," Katara said, resolutely ignoring the 'no kidding' from Toph.

"I was merely inquiring as to your health, Lady Katara. You have been busy meeting a lot of people over the last couple of weeks and I'm sure that it's not easy."

"I am doing well. I appreciate your concern, Lord Zuko. It isn't easy to meet so many people but it can't be avoided. How are you enjoying your visit?"

It's been... Educating," Zuko replied, keeping his voice carefully neutral.

Having exchanged pleasantries, Katara was now at a loss as to what to say next. To make matters worse, up close, the Fire Lord was even more handsome. His golden eyes were unlike anything she had ever seen and Katara found herself thinking that if she were a poet, she'd have been writing ballads on them. Busy daydreaming about his eyes, Katara missed the next question as well. Toph's nudge brought her back and she found the Fire Lord looking at her dubiously.

"Apologies," she muttered. "I guess my head is in the clouds today. Could you repeat the question, Lord Zuko?"

"I... I was wondering if there was something you would want to ask me?"

Toph's voice echoed across her mind, telling her to ask him about the scar. Before she could stop herself, her mouth had started to formulate the question. "How did you get your sca...lding hot water here?"

"What?" Zuko's face was blank while Toph's giggles were far too audible.

Katara blushed, wondering what was going on. "I..." She began, trying to cover up her gaffe

Zuko however caught what was going on. "I'm a Firebender, so scalding hot water is not really a problem for me, if that's what you wanted to ask, that is. If it's my scar that you wanted to ask about, I am unwilling to answer that. Now if that is all, may I take your leave?"

Embarrassed beyond words, Katara nodded. The man bowed stiffly to both and strode towards the encampment without a backward glance.

"That was a disaster!" Katara cried, her face in her hands.

Back in her rooms, Katara was still distraught over the meeting she'd had with the one person she wanted to make a good impression on. Suki and Toph were in the room with her urging her to go talk to the Fire Lord again and apologize. Katara, however, was too mortified to approach him and was sure that he would want nothing to do with her anyway.

She skipped dinner that night with the excuse that she was fatigued and wanted to rest. In reality, she didn't think she could face him again so soon after their disastrous encounter.

* * *

Katara was still thinking about last night when her meeting with the next suitor came about. She had gone in early for breakfast and though Lord Zuko had been in the hall, he'd been far enough away from her that she didn't need to acknowledge him.

This morning's suitor, Hahn, was from their sister tribe the Northern Water Tribe. As such Katara hoped that the meeting would be easier than the rest of the nobles. She greeted him cordially and was pleased to see him being just a few years older than herself. Hahn's very first words though, put her back up.

"I can't believe that the Southern Water Tribe allowed a woman to learn combat waterbending."

"What do you mean?" Katara's tone was cold.

"In the Northern water tribe, our women are healers. They do not learn combative waterbending, which is a man's job." Hahn elaborated, his pride at being a man clear in his voice.

"So none of the women waterbenders in the north can protect themselves?" Katara was incredulous.

"Why would they need to? The men look after them, the women look after the home."

Katara was fuming, "So tell me, Hahn, if we do end up getting married, how would you deal with the fact that I'm already a master waterbender?"

"You'd obviously never practice it in the North. I'm sure we can find you a teacher that will be more than happy to teach you how to use waterbending for healing."

If she was cold before, Katara's voice now was as chilly as her homeland, "I'm a _Master_ Waterbender, Hahn; I can know how to heal mental and physical injuries with waterbending. Stupid attitudes, however, are beyond even my considerable abilities."

Saying this Katara turned on her heel and marched away quickly before she froze the idiot to the nearest tree.

Katara was muttering under her breath about stupid northerners when she came to her room. She stopped short when she found Suki and Toph sitting on her bed. Toph was laughing at something while Suki was frowning.

"What?" Katara asked irritably.

"Whoa! Who spit in your food, Sugar queen?"

"Ew, Toph!" Suki exclaimed.

"What? It's not like sweetness to be so grumpy."

Katara walked in and plopped down on the bed. She let out a groan of pure frustration.

"I cannot believe that guy from the Northern Water Tribe," She began. "He has the gall to tell that I can't really be a master waterbender because I'm a woman."

This statement immediately erased the smiles from the faces of her friends.

"You're kidding!" Suki exclaimed.

"I wish I was. He goes on to tell me that women don't need combative training because men can look after them."

"I wish I with you today, Sugar queen, I would have had a few words with him." Toph's voice had a dangerous edge to it.

"Ah! Forget him. What were you two talking about when I walked in?"

"Maybe we should talk about that later," Suki said

"I think she should know about it." Toph countered

"She's upset. Why bother her more?" Suki argued

"I'm right here!" Katara raised her voice to be heard over the two bickering friends. "Whatever it is, I want to know."

"Do you remember mentioning that you felt like the suitors were reading off of a script?" Toph asked. At Katara's nod, she continued. "Turns out you were right. Some enterprising idiot decided to write up a script on, and I quote, 'How to woo Lady Katara' and sold it to a bunch of the suitors."

"WHAT?!" Katara was livid. She was off the bed in a flash and started pacing the room. "So these idiots not only do not know how to talk to a girl but are stupid enough to spend money on something like that?"

"Calm down, Katara." Suki urged.

"I AM CALM!" Katara snarled.

"Riiiight," Toph smirked, "Look on the bright side of this."

"What bright side?" Suki interjected before Katara could bite Toph's head off.

"At least she'll be able to outright reject anyone that sounds like they are reading off of the script."

"Whatever." Katara fumed. "I'm going for a walk. And before you ask, I don't need anyone; I'm more than capable of taking care of myself."

For the second time that day, Katara made a dramatic exit.


	3. If he hollers let it go

**A/N: Thank you to guest reviewer who gave me a great plot idea. I wish you had an account so I could send you a thank you note.**

 **It was pointed out to me that I didn't show Katara as being accompanied by someone in lot of the meetings with the suitors. It was intentional. Unless the chaperone had something to contribute (like Toph during the Zuko meet) I left it out. The assumption is she's always accompanied, unless otherwise mentioned, by a Kyoshi warrior.**

 **I was asked by a reviewer for a true Zutara interaction, I hope this chapter suffices.**

 **My beta is on vacation, so the mistakes in chapter are mine and mine alone.**

 **Disclaimer: They are not mine (sobs in the corner)**

* * *

Zuko now did his morning exercises far enough away from the houses. It must have been an adequate distance for Ms. Beifong since she hadn't confronted him again about it. He would then spar with the Avatar before cleaning up and going in for his breakfast.

Zuko had come to the conclusion that the only sane people in the entire party were his hosts and the Avatar. After his really odd encounter with the wheat-stalk guy, he had desperately wanted to avoid interacting with any of the other guys. Unfortunately for him, he was the Fire Lord, which meant that diplomatic relations with the other countries had to be maintained. He was less than enthused when most of these nobles only wanted to pander to him. The rest of his morning was usually spent in inane conversations.

He was thankful that the Avatar had called him over for breakfast that morning. He hadn't trust himself to not do bodily harm to the half-naked moron from the night before. Speaking of which, he hadn't seen the leaf guy after that morning.

 _Not that it's a great loss. The lack of personal hygiene that the dude displayed was really appalling._ Zuko's nose crinkled involuntarily as he thought of the stench that had emanated from the guy.

That morning was the first time he'd met the princess and was rather taken aback by her staring at him. Zuko was used to stares, the scar wasn't exactly inconspicuous, but he'd thought that the princess would have had better manners.

 _It's a shame really about her manners really. She's a pretty girl._ Zuko thought. _I can't figure it out. On one hand she stares at me like that, which is rather bold._ _On the other hand, she's hardly spoken a word other than a greeting to me. Conversation may not be her forte._

Part of him felt sorry for a girl who didn't have conversation skills for having to deal with the numerous suitors that were here. Then he remembered that she would have agreed to this circus and dismissed any pity he felt.

The Fire Lord let out a sigh as he thought about the letter he had received from his uncle. He had written a letter to General Iroh and asked him to invent an emergency. The crafty old man, however, had written back saying that there was absolutely no emergency in the Fire Nation and Zuko was to enjoy his 'vacation.' Zuko's lips twisted as he remembered his uncle's words. _Some vacation_ , the Fire Lord mused. Still, he was thankful that his uncle had sent him some scrolls that needed his approval with the last hawk. The work was actually keeping him from becoming stir crazy. At least some of his afternoons were usually taken up by the scrolls that Iroh sent over.

 _I can't believe I'm actually missing the mountain load of work._ He thought with a shake of his head.

He walked toward the practice area only to find it occupied by the chief-in-waiting. The man, Zuko thought his name was Sokka, was practicing with a very unique looking sword and had really good form. He waited until Sokka noticed him to speak to him.

"Good afternoon, Prince Sokka."

"Good afternoon, Fire Lord Zuko."

"That's a really interesting sword you have there."

"It's made out of space metal," Sokka answered proudly.

Zuko was unsure what to make of that so he let it go. Instead he asked, "Your sword work is very good. You must have had a good master."

"I trained under Master Piandao."

"Master Piandao!" Zuko was very surprised. The old master was very selective in his students. "He is my swords master as well."

"You wield swords?" Sokka sounded incredulous.

"Yes, I have dao swords," At Sokka's puzzled expression, he elaborated, "I use two swords."

"Is that an euphemism for something?" his companion sounded mildly horrified.

"What? No, NO. I meant I have two swords," Zuko tried to explain himself.

"That's not better," Sokka drawled.

"My one sword splits into two blades," Zuko ground out through gritted teeth.

To his surprise, Sokka burst out laughing. "Relax. I was just teasing you."

Zuko wasn't sure how to react but he couldn't resist the clear mirth and good humor of the man in front of him. His face pulled into a reluctant smile. He was surprised when Sokka offered a hand but grasped his forearm in a traditional water tribe gesture.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet Master Piandao's most famous student. I am curious though, Fire Lord, why does a master bender need to learn sword fighting?"

"I wasn't always a master bender," Zuko answered easily, "plus you never know when you might be unable to use bending."

Sokka seemed to mull over his answer before shrugging, "Would you mind sparring with me? I haven't been able to practice much lately."

"I would be honored, Lord Sokka."

Sokka's mouth contorted like he'd just tasted something bitter. "Just Sokka, please. This lord business is seriously tiring. I have no idea how you have put up it all your life."

"I haven't. I was _Prince_ Zuko till a couple of years ago."

Sokka's mouth dropped open, "Was that a joke? There may be hope for you yet. Come on, let's get your blades and get some practice in."

Zuko didn't think about his work at all that afternoon.

* * *

Zuko's next afternoon, however, was not quite so fortuitous. He had asked for more work last week and gotten quite a few scrolls just this morning. Since he had been looking forward to sparring with Sokka again, Zuko was rather disappointed. Sokka was a really good warrior. Not only was he quite skilled with the sword but also with a boomerang.

 _It's a really odd choice for a weapon but I guess it works for him._

Becoming aware of someone waiting from him, Zuko turned his head and was face to face with nobleman Hahn. He bit back a groan; Hahn, in Zuko's opinion, was a complete idiot.

"So you're the Fire Lord" Hahn began.

"Last I checked," Zuko replied, inwardly rolling his eyes. _It is going to be one of those days._

Hahn looked him over once and said, "Aren't you, you know, a little young."

"And your point is?"

"I mean, they let a boy rule a nation? That's brave!"

Zuko's patience, not legendary to begin with, was at an end. "Not nearly as brave as letting an idiot represent their people on an international level."

The Fire Nation sovereign walked away, leaving behind a blubbering Northern Water Tribesman.

* * *

The few mornings later, his daily spar with the Avatar was winding down when a sudden thought struck the Fire Lord.

"Aang, you're 15, correct?"

"Yes, I am."

"What are you doing here, then? I mean, the lady in question is 17. She has to marry immediately and I thought that the Air nomads didn't consider getting married before 16, even in the current conditions."

"I know. I'd hoped there would be more girls here. I'm not really interested in pursuing Katara. In fact, I'm thinking of asking Chief Hakoda's permission to court Toph. Are you okay?"

Zuko had just taken a sip of water when Aang made the statement about courting Toph. Only years of court life prevented Zuko from spitting his drink all over the Avatar. As it was it went down the wrong pipe and left him coughing and sputtering. He imagined he looked rather undignified for a Fire Lord at the moment. He held up a hand to calm Aang who was hovering anxiously. After taking a moment to compose himself, he asked the question foremost on his mind.

"Toph? As in, Lady Beifong?"

"Do you know of any other Tophs?" Aang sounded affronted.

"I just meant that you and _Toph_ are so completely dissimilar." Zuko held up a hand again, this time in a gesture of peace.

"I know! That's what is great. She has a great sense of humor, is brash and always speaks her mind. You have no idea how refreshing that is. On second thought, maybe you do know." Aang amended at the sight of Zuko's raised eyebrow. "Speaking of Katara, aren't you supposed to be meeting her this evening?"

"Yes, I am"

* * *

When Zuko stalked back to his room that evening, he was furious. He could not believe that the lady had asked him about his scar. Not even people who had known him for a long time dared to ask him about it. She was even more lacking in manners than he'd thought. What kind of upbringing had she received that precluded her from learning basic courtesies? He amended that immediately, Chief Hakoda was one of the most courteous and polite men he knew. Sokka had a strange sense of humor but his manners were not lacking. This behavior was entirely the lady's fault.

He made up his mind to write to Iroh and demand that he send a message to Kyoshi Island. Zuko wanted to be gone from this place, he was done being politically correct. He realized that his hands were clenched and fire was engulfing it. Consciously unclenching them, Zuko took deep breaths and gradually calmed down. The Fire Lord realized that there was only about a week left in this circus but he didn't care. He was still sending the message to Iroh the next morning after breakfast.

The next morning, a much calmer Zuko realized that by the time a hawk got to the Fire Nation and back, this 'event' would already be over. Sighing heavily in the confines of his own room, he decided to stick it out. Another week might be a strain on his sanity but his years in court had taught him how to ignore people he did not want to deal with. Zuko had been relying on this skill for the last three weeks and figured he could handle one more.

Zuko had been back in his room for a couple of hours after breakfast when he saw someone at the door. Looking up he saw the earthbender lounging against his door.

More than a little surprised, Zuko greeted her, "Good morning, Lady Beifong."

She grimaced, "I told you, it's Toph. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you for a few."

Zuko nodded then realized that she couldn't see him and said, "Sure."

"Not here, too many prying ears. Let's go a little further away from the campsite." Saying this, she turned and walked away.

Zuko was nonplussed for a minute, unused to people walking out on him. He smiled a bit, liking the diminutive girl for not standing on ceremony. He got up and followed _Toph_ out of the camp. He was amazed at the ease with which the blind girl navigated her way through the camp, without so much as a stubbed toe.

They walked in silence for a while. Toph kept fidgeting and her face would contort occasionally as if she was about to do something distasteful. Zuko surmised that she was uncomfortable with whatever she needed to talk to him about. He kept his silence and allowed her to be the one to speak first.

"It's about last night," She began.

Zuko was again a little surprised that she had jumped right to the heart of the matter rather than start with banalities. He realized that he appreciated her straightforwardness. Last night, however, was not a subject that he wanted to talk about.

"What about it?" He asked when she lapsed back into silence.

"I know you weren't pleased when Sugar Queen asked about your scar."

"Sugar Queen?" he asked, amused at the name she'd given Lady Katara.

"Katara. Anyway, it wasn't her fault. We were talking about it earlier in the day…"

"You were talking about it?" Zuko was incredulous.

"Didn't I just say that? Now stop interrupting," Toph snapped at him. Taking his silence as an assent, she continued. "I had heard some of the other girls talking about it in the camps. I have obviously never seen it, so I asked Sug…err Katara about it."

Recovering from his shock at being scolded like a child, Zuko asked, "How does that translate to her asking me about it?"

"You're doing it again." Toph admonished. "Honestly, how do you get any work done if you keep interrupting everyone? Now shush."

Zuko's eyebrow disappeared into his hairline. _Did she just… shush the Fire Lord?_ He had never been scolded by anyone outside of his family. Acknowledging, however, that she did have a point, he said, "Please continue."

"She told me about the scar and had wondered, like almost everyone I think, how you got it. I put it into her head that she should ask you."

When Toph fell silent, Zuko thought she was finished. Before he could open his mouth, however, she continued.

"It certainly doesn't help that Sugar Queen seems to lose all capacity for rational thought around you."

"What?" The Fire Lord was stumped. "She finds me that repulsive?"

"Repulsive?" Toph echoed then burst into laughter. Zuko crossed his arms and glared at her before realizing that it was wasted on her.

Controlling herself with clear difficulty, Toph said, "Boy! You really are clueless. Here's a hint, O Fire Lord, girls usually have a hard time breathing and controlling their heart rates when you walk by _and they giggle._ Does that answer your question?"

Before Zuko could formulate an appropriate response, Toph looked towards the camp and said, "Oh good! She's finally coming this way. I was wondering if she got lost." With that she started walking away.

Zuko started to follow her when suddenly his feet were encased in rock; lurching him forward. The usually stoic Fire Lord was left windmilling his arms in order to avoid smashing his face on the ground.

"Toph!" he shouted.

"Nuh-uh, you two have some things to sort out. I'll release you when she's close enough that you cannot avoid her."

"Who?" he began even though he knew who she was referring to but the Earthbender was already out of earshot.

Sighing Zuko waited and in a few minutes before he could make out a shape coming towards the open field. The Fire Lord was amazed that Toph had been able to sense her before she was even in visual range. He was beginning to grasp why she was considered the best Earthbender in the world. He wondered if he might be able to convince her to come to the Palace with him. Her skills would be useful in dodging the occasional assassination attempts. He also remembered her saying something about her ability to tell if someone was lying. He didn't know how she did it or even if it was true but it'd be a very useful skill to have during the council meetings.

The feeling of his feet being freed of their mini rock prison brought him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Katara closing the distance rapidly. She was close enough that he could see her clenched fists. She drew up short when she noticed him. Zuko could see her tensed shoulders and flashing eyes.

"Fire Lord." She greeted him shortly.

"Lady Katara." He acknowledged her politely. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," She snapped. Then closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing "No. No, I'm not fine. I'm really, really mad. First I have to meet with that idiot Hahn, who seems to think he's the spirits' gift to mankind just because he's a man. Then I find out that some other idiot has been selling scripts to help the candidates woo me."

Zuko was a little taken aback. This was the longest she'd ever talked to him and she didn't appear to be the ditzy female he'd taken her to be. As he listened to her problems and he could sympathize with at least one of them. He left that for later and asked her the question foremost in his mind.

"What do you mean by a script to woo you?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. It has all sorts of nonsense like my luminous eyes, my exotic skin and other stuff like that. When a lot of the nobles I met in the first week said the same things, I mentioned it to Toph. She told me this morning that there is an actual 'woo Katara' script."

Zuko controlled his grin with a good bit of effort. He didn't think that the lady would appreciate his laughter.

"At least you know which suitors you can reject based on that."

"As if I would consider any of them, they were all much too old for me."

"Then why did you invite them in the first place?"

"I didn't! The invitations were sent out by my Father and Sokka. I suppose their reasoning might have been to not offend any of the higher ranking nobles."

"I can understand that."

"You would, wouldn't you? I'm sure you are heartily sick of the pandering from the nobles here but can't really say much in case you offend them."

Zuko was surprised she was more astute than he's given her credit for.

 _Definitely_ not _an empty headed twit._

She must have noticed his expression because she lifted her chin and said, "I _am_ the daughter of the Southern Chief, and I'm no stranger to people trying to curry favors."

"I meant no offense. I've usually dealt with the Northern Water Tribe and the women there do not seem to participate in any political affairs. I guess my assumption that the same rule applied to the Southern Water Tribe is incorrect."

"Indeed, Fire Lord. We do not treat our women like mere ornaments. The Northerners are definitely not like us."

Zuko realized she was thinking of Hahn and asked, "What did he say to you?"

Katara must have understood who he was talking about because she said, "He told me I couldn't be a master waterbender because I'm a woman. Apparently in the north, women are only healers. If I were to get married to him I'd have to only be a healer."

"I'm assuming that he's not in the running for your hand then?"

Katara scoffed, "Please. I'd sooner stay unmarried for the rest of my life than get married to that moron. When did you run into him?"

Zuko was impressed that she had surmised that he knew of Hahn.

"I'd seen him on the sidelines when I visited the Northern Water Tribe last time and but we actually met a couple of days ago. He said it was brave of the Fire Nation to let someone as young as me rule."

Katara slapped her forehead. "I can't believe it. To think he's one of the fore runners for the Chief's position after Chief Arnook."

"That is a truly frightening thought."

Katara started laughing at his dry tone. Zuko felt like a bolt of lightning had gone through him. She was gorgeous when she laughed.

She sobered up and seemed to remember something because her eyes turned somber.

 _I don't think I've seen someone with such expressive eyes. She says a lot more with her eyes than she realizes._

"Fire Lord?"

Katara's voice jolted him out of his reverie.

"I'm sorry, Lady Katara. I guess it's my turn to go woolgathering."

He'd meant to tease another smile from her but her expression turned anxious.

"Fire Lord Zuko," She began, licking her lips. Zuko found his eyes getting drawn to her mouth at the action. "I owe you an apology for last night. I was lost in my thought and … I should never have asked what I did. I won't give you an excuse for what I said because nothing will justify my atrocious behavior. I hope you can forgive me."

"Lady Katara, your apology is accepted. Actually Toph was talking to me earlier and explained a bit about last night."

What he had meant as reassurance seemed to startle her.

"What exactly did she say?" She bit her lip as she waited for him to answer.

Zuko had an urge to soothe the abused lip. _Preferably with mine._ He was startled at the direction of his thoughts and looked away from the girl who was still awaiting an answer. The action served to bring Zuko had a moment of clarity that told him that mentioning everything that Toph had talked about would not be a good idea.

"She just told me that she wanted to know what my scar looked like and had asked you. This is why it was foremost on your mind."

"Is that it? She didn't say anything else?"

"No. That was it. Why? Was there something else that needed to be said?" Zuko was now enjoying the blush coating Katara's cheeks.

"No, not at all. It's just…actually never mind." Katara shook her head as if to clear it.

She took a moment to close her eyes. She looked up with a smile and asked, "May I ask you something?"

 _Agni, she's a beautiful girl. She seems to be quite unaware of the power of that smile._

Zuko nodded in a daze, still recovering from her dazzling smile when the abrupt change in topic penetrated his thoughts.

"How long have you known the Avatar?"

"I…what?"

"The Avatar, I was wondering how long you've known him?"

"I've known Aang for about 3 years now. He had come to the fire Nation to learn Firebending from my Uncle. My uncle, General Iroh, is one of the greatest Firebenders in history."

"General Iroh? Your uncle is the legendary Dragon of the West?"

Now it was Zuko's turn to be surprised.

"How do you know my uncle?"

"He's come to meet Master Pakku, my waterbending master, quite a few times over the years. He's really a very nice man."

"Yes, he is. Though I'm not sure I completely get his obsession with tea."

Katara snickered, "I'm so glad I'm not the only one that doesn't get that."

The two shared a moment of camaraderie over their mutual bafflement.

Zuko wondered for a moment at the ease that he felt in the company of the girl that he was furious with just yesterday.

"We should be getting back," Katara said. She started walking back toward the camp.

"Oh yes, it is probably unseemly for you to be in the company of a suitor for this long without a chaperone."

Katara's eyes flashed, "I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. Besides Toph is likely waiting out of our sight."

"She is? Of course, she is. You're lucky to have a friend like her."

"Yes, I am. She's one of the most abrasive, blunt and terrifying people you will ever meet but there's no truer friend."

"Even if she gets you into sticky situations at times?"

"Yes, in spite of that. Her support has been invaluable though this whole process. I couldn't have faced the sea of suitors here without her."

"Did you know that the Avatar is quite taken with your friend?"

Katara stopped short. "Toph? And Aang?" She drew out Aang's name like she was picturing them in her head. She mulled it over for a few seconds and then gave him another one of her dazzling smiles. "Oh! That's perfect! They are perfect for each other!"

 _Agni, that smile should be considered a weapon. I'm amazed that it hasn't been declared illegal._

"Thank you Lord Zuko. You've made my day. I was wondering how to reject the Avatar's suit without hurting everyone, now I don't have to worry about it at all."

She laid a hand on his arm as she spoke and Zuko lost the power of coherent thought. All he could see was her small tan hand on his arm and all he could feel was the surge of lightning from that touch. She was still saying something but Zuko couldn't hear a word over the buzzing in his head.

Katara seemed to realize what she had done because she quickly withdrew her hand; blushed a deep red and fled towards the camp with a muttered apology.

Zuko stood there for a long while getting his heart rate under control before he headed back.


	4. Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Moe

**A/N: Thank you to each and everyone of my readers. A very special mention to those who followed/favorited (so not a word!) the story. A humongous thanks to those folks who took the time to write a review or PM me. You guys rock!**

 **My beta is back from her vacation and you can blame her if you see mistakes in the punctuation etc. Just kidding! She helped me tie the story up with a nice little bow. Thank you, sis.**

 **As always the characters do not belong to me.**

* * *

Later that evening, he heard a commotion outside. He was fully prepared to ignore it when he heard Katara's voice. Zuko was out of his room and in the courtyard before he consciously registered the thought.

The courtyard had an interesting tableau. Katara was flanked by Toph on one side and a Kyoshi warrior on the other. Zuko thought that the Kyoshi warrior may have been her sister-in-law. Katara was shaking in rage and facing the wheat stalk guy. The guy was still smirking and something about that smirk set Zuko's teeth on edge. The guy must have been either incredibly brave or incredible stupid. Zuko was betting on the latter.

"Care to explain yourself, Jet?" Katara's voice was frosty. Zuko knew he never wanted that tone to be directed at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sugar," _Jet_ still had the stalk of wheat and smirked around it.

"Oh you don't, do you? Then please, allow me to explain. You were responsible for this nonsensical document that you sold to many of the nobles here." Before Jet could speak, Katara held up a finger. "Before you say anything, _Jet,_ you should know that we have confirmation of this from several of your customers."

Zuko looked around and saw quite a large crowd forming around them, all of them very interested in the drama unfolding in front of them.

Katara folded her arms, "What I'm trying to figure out is your reason for doing this."

Something must have clicked in Jet's head because Zuko saw the smirk disappear. "I wanted you to select me as your groom. A lot of these nobles are from the fire nation. No one should be subjected to horror of being married to a Firebender."

The crowd gasped as one. Zuko was instantly furious and his fists were engulfed in flames. Before he could say a word, however, he heard Katara's voice ring out.

"How dare you? How dare you stand there and insult our guests? You have disgraced yourself with your behavior. This event was supposed to be a place where every invited guest had an equal opportunity to represent themselves. You did something that not only took that chance away from a lot of them, but also did that with the worst possible motivation."

Jet tried to open his mouth again and Katara held up a hand. Her manner was that of a princess talking to a peasant.

"Who gave you the right to decide who I should or should not marry? You will leave the island before morning. A boat shall be arranged for you." Saying this Katara started to turn around.

With more speed than Zuko would have given him credit for, Jet leapt forward to grab her arm.

Several things happened at the same time. Zuko was in the battle stance in a flash with fire in his fists again, the Kyoshi warrior had her fan out and was in a battle stance and her brother, Sokka, had his boomerang out.

Toph, however, had reacted quicker than everyone and had already encased Jet in a rock prison up to his chest. Katara put a hand on Toph shoulder and with a grunt she released Jet.

Jet was still holding Katara's arm. "I suggest you let go," the ice was back in her voice.

"You have to…" Jet began. Whatever he was about to say was lost, because with a flick of Katara's hand Jet was encased in ice up to his neck and a band of ice across his mouth kept it closed.

"I don't HAVE to do anything. I was being generous in offering you a boat to get to your destination, now you'll be gone from this island before morning without our assistance. Do not test me on this, Jet, or you'll find out exactly what a master waterbender is capable of." Saying this, Katara spun on her heel and marched away.

The crowd parted to allow her passage. Zuko saw the Kyoshi warrior lean toward Katara and with another wave of her hand, a sputtering and gasping Jet was released from his icy prison. He was immediately surrounded by quite a few Kyoshi warriors.

Satisfied that the situation was well under control, Zuko turned to go to his room when he saw the Avatar gliding down.

"What did I miss?"

* * *

The next morning left the Fire Lord with a sense of Déjà vu. He was working in his room when he saw Toph standing in his doorway.

"Are we due for another talk?" He asked her.

Toph looked him with an expression of unholy glee. Zuko was suddenly very apprehensive of what she would tell him.

"Fire Lord Zuko, Chief Hakoda requests your presence in his rooms to discuss a matter of grave importance," Her grin was in complete contrast to the formality of her words.

Feeling uneasy, Zuko prepared for the meeting by donning his formal attire.

He was led to the private rooms of the Chief by Toph. Upon entering he realized that these rooms were quite a bit bigger than the regular quarters. He was met by Chief Hakoda, Sokka and the Kyoshi Warrior Suki. Toph led him to the rooms but did not stay for the meeting itself. She whispered 'good luck' to a puzzled Zuko before leaving the room.

"Fire Lord Zuko, welcome," Chief Hakoda greeted him.

"Thank you, Chief Hakoda," Zuko answered, matching the formality in the older man's greeting.

"I hope you have been treated well during your stay here?"

Zuko thought back to the various strange encounters and concluded that even though he had been exasperated at the time, in hindsight he found them funny.

"I have chief. Your hospitality has been impeccable. I have also found a great partner for swordsmanship in Lord Sokka."

"Indeed. Sokka has told me that you are quite skilled with the blades yourself and have trained under the same master."

Zuko had the strangest feeling that the Chief was uncomfortable with whatever he wanted to talk to him about and was stalling. Sokka clearly shared his views because he nudged his father with a 'Dad!' which seemed to make Chief Hakoda even more uneasy.

The Chief cleared his throat and took a deep breath, "Fire Lord Zuko, I called you here to inform you that you are my daughter's choice to be her husband."

Zuko forgot all about the fact that he was the ruler of a nation; that he had been dealing with politicians all his life; that he was a master firebender and that he was an expert swordsman. At this moment he was just a man who had been told something incredible. He felt like his head would explode and his heart would beat right out of his chest. He was sure that the air in the room had suddenly gone thin because he was having trouble drawing breath.

He suddenly became aware of Sokka pushing his head between his knees and telling him to "take deep breaths."

Zuko stayed like that for a few minutes, head held between his legs by the water tribe warrior, eyes shut tight and trying to get enough air into his lungs. Gradually he felt his head clearing and his heart rate calm down. He nodded and Sokka let him go. Sitting up gingerly, Zuko was sure he had never been more mortified in his life. Rubbing a hand over his face he realized that Chief Hakoda had left the room at some point and Aang stood in his place. Sokka, Suki and Aang were all looking at him with varying degrees of concern.

"Are you alright?" Aang asked him.

Zuko nodded again still not sure he could trust his voice.

"Well. I didn't realize that marrying my sister would be such a hardship, Fire Light."

"Sokka, don't you mean Fire Lord?" Suki corrected him gently.

"That's what I said," Sokka sounded impatient.

"I'm sure that that's not what Zuko meant to imply," Aang was trying to defend him.

"Didn't he? My dad tells him that out of all the suitors that came parading through here, my beautiful, talented, smart sister chose him. And what does he do? He has such a panic attack that dad thinks he's about to die."

"If your dad thought Zuko was about to die, why not call Katara? She's the healer after all." Aang sounded curious.

"That's a brilliant idea, Aang! And what would you have had us tell her? Sorry Katara, the thought of marrying you almost killed him, can you heal him?" Sarcasm dripped from Sokka's every word making Zuko wince.

"Oh!" Aang saw the logic in that argument. He then seemed to think of something, "What I don't understand is why he had such an extreme reaction?"

As one, all three turned to look at him.

Zuko cringed under their look then took a shuddering breath before opening his mouth.

"I do apologize. It was a bit of a shock."

Sokka snorted, "Yeah, we all saw that. A _bit of a shock_ that nearly made you pass out. I'd say it was more than just a bit of a shock. The question is why?"

The Fire lord realized that everyone was waiting for his reaction.

"I just turned 19!"

That statement seemed to confuse Sokka enough to at least remove the scowl from his face.

"Oh yeah! I attended the party. It was an awesome day. Did I ever tell you how much I appreciated the egg custards your cooks made?" Aang piped in.

Zuko was so taken aback by the sudden change in topic that he just shook his head mutely.

"Please do let him know," Aang continued, "I might ask him for the recipe next time. It was the best custard I've had in a long time."

"Aang!" Suki's voice cut in, "not the time."

"Oops. Sorry."

Zuko and Sokka exchanged a look of exasperation at the young, easily excitable Avatar and grinned. Just like that the tension in the room dissolved.

Zuko took a minute to close his eyes and drew upon years of training, "I mention my age because I didn't think I would get married quite this young." He saw Sokka open his mouth and forestalled the question. "The marriageable age in the Fire Nation is 18."

"You knew when you accepted the invitation that you would be one of the candidates that could be chosen as her husband, so why are you so surprised?" Sokka now wanted to know.

 _For Agni's sake, I didn't run away screaming or anything. And I didn't accept the invitation for this freak show, uncle did._

In the absolute silence that followed, Zuko realized that he had spoken aloud. If the Fire Lord was embarrassed before, he was absolutely mortified now. Sokka's face turned to stone, Suki went absolutely rigid and Aang looked grave and disapproving.

"Fire Lord Zuko, I think it would be best if we forget this conversation. I supported my sister's decision initially but I no longer think that you are the correct candidate to become her husband." Sokka's tone told him clearly that he was no longer speaking as his sparring partner but as the Southern Water Tribe's Chief-in-waiting.

Saying this Sokka gave him a stiff bow effectively terminating the conversation.

* * *

Zuko sat in his room and let the morning's events wash over him. He wondered what had made Lady Katara choose him. In spite of what Toph said, he knew what he looked like. He'd heard enough whispers about his scar to know that girls found it horrifying. He couldn't imagine a scenario where someone as beautiful as Lady Katara would want to spend the rest of her life with him.

He'd figured that he would marry a noblewoman from the Fire Nation in the next few years. Maybe they would come to tolerate each other eventually.

 _There are enough …_

The rest of his thoughts were interrupted by someone clearing their throat loudly.

"Did you come to tell me that they want me off the island?"

Toph scoffed, "You are not a lowly lordling. I'm more curious as to what exactly happened in that room. The other three are being tight-lipped about what happened but I know Katara's going to be told that she cannot marry you as you are being deemed _unsuitable._ I cannot think of anyone more suitable for her, so my question remains, what did you do?"

"I managed to insult them pretty badly."

"I figured it must have been something like that. What did you say?"

"Why do you want to know? They've made up their minds that I'm not suitable for Katara."

If Toph noticed his slip she didn't say anything.

"I care because I'm Katara's friend. I want to see if there's a way to fix this. Unless, of course, you don't want this mess fixed."

"I didn't say that!" Zuko exclaimed.

Toph seemed to look at somewhere over his shoulder for a little bit. He realized that while she knew where a certain person was, she couldn't figure out where the person's face was. She must have found whatever she was looking for because she nodded.

"Okay, Your Lordliness, tell me everything."

Rolling his eyes, he couldn't resist teasing the girl, "In the beginning, there was fire lord Sozin who…"

"Well. Ha ha," her tone was sarcastic but a corner of her mouth was twitching with suppressed laughter. "I'm glad you can joke but I do need to know what happened so I help you."

Zuko told her everything and in retelling the story saw exactly how inappropriate his behavior had been. Toph listened quietly though the entire thing. Once he finished, however, she asked him.

"What did you mean that your uncle accepted the invitation? You are here, not your uncle."

"As Fire Lord, you can imagine the amount of correspondence I get. Uncle told me that he had accepted an invite to a very important summit held by the Southern Water Tribe at Kyoshi Island. When I arrived here and saw all the nobles and lords, I had no reason to doubt his word. I did not realize the true purpose of this summit till Chief Hakoda spoke after that dinner."

He wasn't very surprised when Toph burst out laughing. Had the situations been reversed, he would have been laughing too.

Sighing heavily he said, "I need to make a formal apology to Chief Hakoda and Sokka. I am the ruler of the Fire Nation such behavior has further reaching consequences than if I were just a nobleman."

"That's why I am here, Fire Lord. I know that you didn't mean to insult anyone. I don't think Sokka has spoken to Chief Hakoda yet. Suki and Aang managed to hold him off. Let me go talk to them and I'll have someone come get you in a few."

"I'm the Fire Lord; I should be the one speaking to Sokka."

"You've done a bang up job of it so far. Let me pave the way and you take the time to think about what you want to say. Use that Fire Lord training to calm yourself but go in as Zuko not Fire Lord Zuko."

* * *

It took both longer than he expected and shorter than he had hoped for. Zuko was not entirely sure he was ready to face Sokka again when a Kyoshi warrior came to tell him that they were waiting for him. He made the short walk to the chief's tent with trepidation. He still wasn't sure what Toph meant by 'be Zuko'. The scene inside the room, however, went a long way in calming his nerves. Toph and Aang were grinning openly and Sokka looked amused.

"So you got conned into coming here, did you?" Sokka began, "I knew I liked General Iroh for a reason."

Zuko sighed, "I never know what he's going to pull on me. He even sent me a missive and told me to enjoy my vacation."

The other occupants laughed at his pained expression.

Zuko allowed himself a small smile before sobering up, "I do owe you an apology. I shouldn't have used the words I did to describe this event."

Before Sokka could open his mouth, Toph cut in, "Why shouldn't you? It has been a veritable circus with some of the oddest people I have been around. There is King Kuei and his bear; the swamp guy who showed up without an invitation to just check 'what the commotion was about'; Hahn, the resident idiot and Jet the fire-nation-hating aspiring businessman."

"Did he ever thaw out?" Aang asked.

"Yeah, maybe. Don't know, don't care." Toph shrugged.

"Did who thaw out?" Zuko asked.

"Hahn. After the incident with Jet last night, he approached Katara and started berating her for treating a man that way. He was in the process of telling her what would happen when they were married when Katara turned him into a Hahn-sicle." Sokka told him.

"A Hahn…" Zuko burst out laughing. The image of the pompous guy frozen like a children's treat was too much.

His laughter caused the other to chuckle as well and things were looking up for the Fire Lord again.

When everyone had gotten their mirth under control, Zuko still had unfinished business.

"Sokka, I really do apologize for my choice of words. They were spoken by a boy in the throes of a massive panic attack. I inadvertently insulted you and for that I'm deeply sorry. I know I am not just a man but also the ruler of the Fire Nation but at that time I was really was just a man who had been given some life altering news."

"Your apology is accepted. It's actually good to see that you are also a man and not just the Fire Lord. After Toph told us your side of the story, I can see why you said what you did. I doubt I would have been much better in your shoes. How you didn't run away after that first day will be a mystery to me."

Zuko thought it wise to not tell his host that he wanted to do exactly that and shrugged, "Because I'm also the Fire Lord."

"Hmmm," Sokka agreed wordlessly, "I'm still waiting for an answer to the original offer though."

"At this time, no one else has been told about her choice, am I right?" At Sokka's nod, he continued. "Then, is it possible for me to speak to Lady Katara before I give you an answer? As my wife, she'll not just be lady Katara but _Fire Lady Katara._ I would like to make sure she understands what she'll be signing up for. If she decides that she does not want to undertake that life, she can choose another candidate without a problem"

He chose to ignore the pang that went through him at the thought of Katara marrying someone else.

Sokka looked at Suki and at her nod turned back to Zuko, "I have no problems with that. You will meet with her here. Please wait here while one of us gets Katara. We'll leave the two of you alone to discuss what you feel is necessary."

As the group filed out, Aang lingered back to wish him good luck with a wink and a nudge.

* * *

Katara came in to the room not quite knowing what to expect. After the incident with Jet, Hahn had tried to accost her and tell her how her behavior was not befitting the bride of a northern water tribe man. She had lost the tenuous hold on her temper and frozen him in a block of ice. Again it was Suki's reminder that he was not a bender and thus could not free himself that had persuaded her to unfreeze him. The warrior's even temper really was a blessing.

She had made her choice then and there. While there were a number of nobles who were quite adequate and would have made a suitable husband for her, no one had captured her attention like the handsome Fire Lord. She knew that he would have been informed of it this morning and had been dreading the answer. Her stomach had tied itself into knots waiting for his response. She would alternately fret that he would reject her and then agonize about his acceptance.

What she hadn't been expecting was the missive that the Fire Lord wanted to speak to her before he decided. She had gaped at Suki when her sister-in-law gave her the news. Suki was reticent when Katara had asked her what it was that the monarch wanted to speak to her about, answering only with a cryptic, 'he'll tell you.' So it was that Katara walked into the familiar rooms with not a small amount of trepidation.

Zuko was standing at the window looking outside, seemingly lost in thought. Katara had but a moment to admire the picture he created. With the flame crown in his top knot, his royal robes and his straight posture, the fire lord was every inch the monarch. She thought she was being quiet but he turned around almost immediately.

"Good morning, Fire Lord."

"Good morning to you too, Lady Katara."

He seemed to wait for her to say something else, but she wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to say. Her face must have reflected her confusion because he nodded and then spoke.

"Lady Katara, let me begin by saying that I am honored that you chose me to be your husband. Any man would be lucky if you decided to spend the rest of your life with him. Before we go any further, may I ask what made you choose me?"

Katara looked at him, gaping. "Why shouldn't I have chosen you? What's wrong with you?"

"You mean beside the obvious?"

Katara saw Zuko's hand wander up to scar but not actually touch it.

"It is a part of you, not who you are. It doesn't define you anymore than my skin color defines me."

She saw his shoulders ease as if she'd taken a weight off of them and realized that he thought that the scar made him unattractive.

 _You couldn't have been more wrong._

"You asked me once how I got this, it was a bending accident. I was training with my father when he tripped on a loose tile. My father never forgave himself for it and I think that the guilt of scarring his only son ate away at him till he passed away a few years ago."

Katara didn't know what to say. Zuko seemed to be lost in memories of a time long gone. They stayed in silence for a few minutes before he spoke again.

"Lady Katara, the reason I wanted to speak to you is to make sure you make this decision with all the facts. In choosing me you would also be choosing the mantle of Fire Lady. I want you to know a few pertinent details so that you can go into this with full understanding of what the title entails."

Katara wondered what it was the Fire Lord was trying to warn her about. When he paused and looked at her, she nodded at him wordlessly urging him to continue.

"The very first thing you would lose is privacy. Every single action, every word of yours will be up for scrutiny. The time you would have to yourself will be minimal as there will be numerous projects that will fall within the purview of the Fire Lady. During the first year you will be attending all council meeting with me to familiarize yourself with running the Fire Nation since you will be acting as regent in my absence after the first year is over."

Katara listened to him with increasing incredulity, "Are you trying to scare me into not marrying you?"

The Fire Lord looked dumbfounded, "What? No, that's not my intention at all. I'm merely making you aware of certain realities of life as a Fire Lady. I would not be having this conversation if you were a fire nation lady."

"Excuse me? Are you telling me that I'm not suited to you because I'm not from the fire nation?"

"That's not what I meant at all. I just meant that there are some ladies of the court that are brought up with the training to be a fire lady since most fire lords choose their brides from the nobility."

Katara swallowed the jealousy that spurted up inside her and asked him calmly, "Is there someone particular that you would rather have for your Fire Lady?"

She was pleased to see him look absolutely stunned. She didn't need to be Toph to know that his next sentence was absolutely true.

"What?" he repeated, looking affronted "Absolutely not. I would not have been sent here for this if there was already someone chosen for that."

"Sent here?"

His eyes widened as if he had just realized what he had let slip.

In a resigned tone, he said "I was told by my uncle that this was an important meeting. I had no idea of the nature of this meeting till your father spoke at dinner on the first night."

Katara was sympathetic, "That was unfair on General Iroh's part. This is not something you want to be surprised with." When she saw the Fire Lord gawking at her, she asked, "What?"

"It's just that you are the first person to not laugh outright at this incident."

"Sokka will find humor in almost all situations and Toph is just as bad."

Katara smiled at him hoping to comfort him and the resulting smile on his transformed his face from handsome to stunning. She promptly lost her chain of thought. She realized in that second that she would be distraught if this man decided not to marry her. If that happened, she knew that it would take her a very long time to get over Fire Lord Zuko. This thought brought her back to what he had been talking about.

"Fire Lord, I may not be a fire nation lady brought up to be the fire lady but I am a princess. Believe me when I tell you that I understand very well the importance and consequences of my actions and words. As far as privacy is concerned, I doubt anything can be worse than growing up with Sokka as an over protective brother and having Toph as your best friend."`

She grinned up at him and was surprised to see him looking a little stunned. Katara remembered that he had worn a similar expression the last time she had laughed.

 _I may have a chance here after all._ On its heels came another thought. _If he likes me too, why didn't he accept the proposal right away? Unless…_

With some trepidation, Katara voiced her suspicions, "Will your people accept a water tribe princess as their Fire Lady?"

"That is not an issue at all. International marriages are very common now and are in fact encouraged."

 _May Tui and La forgive me for resorting to this but I'm going to follow Toph's advice._

Katara put on her most dazzling smile and was pleased to see the Fire Lord's eyes go hazy.

"Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

"There's…."

She took a step toward him, "Yes?"

With glee she watched him shut his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose.

"There's the matter of your bride price. As my wife, you will be given ownership of some lands and a sum of money. They are yours to use as you please. They will remain yours even if we dissolve the union."

Katara's happy bubble burst. "Why would we dissolve the union?"

"We can dissolve the union if you are not happy with your life in the fire nation or if we're completely incompatible with each other or…"

"Or what?"

"Or therearenoheirs."

"What?"

"Or there are no heirs. Fire nation law requires a royal heir, male or female, to be produced within the first two years of marriage." The Fire Lord stared away from her while he stating this with a matter of fact voice. The blush that covered his face, however, belied his embarrassment.

"Oh!"

He still did not look at her but rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

"Why do you think I have put off marriage? I don't know if I'm ready to be a parent."

"You are the ruler of an entire nation and you're scared of becoming a parent?"

He just shrugged.

Katara gathered her courage about her and took a chance.

"Zuko"

His head whipped around but Katara had a hard time deciphering the look in his eyes.

Swallowing, she spoke again, "Look, I really like you. I mean I'm sure you figured that out when I chose you to be my husband. I might be wrong but I get the feeling that you might like me back. I am willing to give this a chance, whatever this thing is between us. We don't have to get married right away if you don't want to. We can get to know each other better. I'm sure we will be compatible, and even if we are not at least we'll have tried. Don't you think…?"

Katara's rambling was cut off by the warmest pair of lips she'd ever felt. Then she stopped thinking altogether and just let the feelings wash over her. All too quickly for her taste, his lips left hers. On a whimper of protest, she opened dazed eyes and saw his amber gaze before she heard his quiet request.

"Say it again."

"Hmmm?"

"My name. Say my name again."

"Zuko." She whispered trying to put everything she felt but could not yet name into that one word.

She must have done something right because he pulled her flush against himself and his lips were back on hers. This time she kissed him right back.

* * *

The wedding of the Princess of the Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Lord was held a few months later. The pomp and splendor was such that people talked about it for years afterwards.

The fire nation heiress, Crown Princess Izumi, was born 15 months after the wedding, followed by a prince a couple of years later and another princess 5 years after that.

As for the couple themselves, they went on to lead long, happy and prosperous lives.


End file.
